LEAP TO FAME

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 15, 18 July 1923, Page 13

LEAP TO FAME

>THE NEW PRIME MINISTER

SOME FACTS ABOUT HIS FAMILY

FOUB EEMARKABLE SISTERS.

(fEOH ODB OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, Ist June.

It is only natural tnat the life history «t! the new Prime Minister and the life, of his relatives should be niade public at this important point of his career. .The memoirs of the family. ,6h his niother's side have been 'written) and thdy concern four remarkable women, one of ■whom was the wife of Burne-Jones, and she it was who provided the model' and inspired her husband in the painting of that saintly type of woman that is known the world over as the Burhe-Jones woman. ■; All the ; Macdonald girls' were beautiful.' th^ir father-had a-modest living as a Methodist preacher in London. He-was the. tutor as well as the father of his. ptifd.reh.. His_wife, tod. was a remai-kably energetic and able woman! The children were ■ strictly brought up, to use the'language of their day. Their father, taught them painting and music, and a good deal/about literature. The home was a, notable .fneeting^lace for. artists and men if letters anu affairs in.the 'sixties. v .'■ ' ■•

Of, the daughtersi Alice liiarried Mr. tockwood Kipling, a yqiing desigiier of pottery. At Rudyafd L&ke ( in' Staffordshire, the, holiday resort of the district; he proposed to her. Then he was ofterefd a ;post ifl India, I'and she went' out there to; marry, him... In meinofy,of the place, of: their meeting they chiisteired their Soh.Eudyara. The Hufeband became a distinguished archaeologist and designer; his fame, is lost in. that, of his greater son. Mrs. Kipling, say tHcfee vifiio fejiew lier in. Indiaj explains Sudyard; She was a brilliant worilah, extradrdihaflly witty-, one of the ir*st amusing talkers at the dinner tables of Bombay.

the family. Fortunes. .. Agnes became Lady Pointer, wife of the paihter. Georgiana became Lady Burne-Jones,-, and she was regarded in her own house as a saint as well as a beauty. Louisa;..-the. Prime, Minister's mother, married aft,engineer, who was to become a, millidhaire, but she worked hard, none the less; and she has written a novel, ," Richard tjaie" a volume, " Where, ToWn and Country Meet." a' book of fairy ■ tales; ".The Padler's Pack," and one of. the most noteworthy series of ghost stories, "The Shadow on the Blind." • "' ' ■ .

Mr. Baldwin's" father, for one, had " influertce "to set him up in life; "But when he was a mere lad of seventeen he went to the manager of a Worcester bank, and so much impressed, him with his engineering and ironfouriding 'pro' jects that the bank backfd him through and through. Mrs. Kipling, Lady Poynter;and Lady Burne-JoneS ".are dead." Mrs. Baldwin has lived to', see her sori achieve the greatest .political' triumph that a commoner can achieve.

;. ' A BUSINESS MAN. : : Before entering Parliament, Mr. Baldwin had been connected with his father, ' .-Mr./." Alfred ' "'Baldwin/ in Baldwin's, Limited,' th<3 great Midland firiii known for its steel, products, pi. whiolj he became vice-chairman. He was also director of the' Great Western Bailway. ■ Alert.. -well-groomed, and quiet in speech; his toanner oil the Treasury bench? since he came to the front has been that of a man who all his life has realised-thS value of time;: Hi* replies have been as brief as possible compatible with clearness.' He has always known how to say "No," when to reinsin silent, when to develop an answer. When, jbeihg ..questioned ho leans forward to watch the questioner with koeii «yes, even grasping ■ the point of i the Question before it is half put, and answering concisely. When he leaves the ! House and enters the lobby he rarely stops to talk. He walks with-long strides and head slightly bent and thrust-for- ■ ward like a man engaged upon a hurried mission..-/ ; . . . ,)_ ...;.:. ;•

._Eis appreciation of a'r.t: arid literature, his sense of humour, .arid his fairiily affecUon are among. the s mbst attractive human, qualities about' Mr.; Baldwin; the House; of Commons, likes him.. .His.. hiim-; our is generally &r^; he was'-recently questioned about the fluctuations of the pound in .America^ and" He replied}'with a twinkle.' in his eyes; tha.fr it wasthfe dollai- that fluctuated .. and'no't'--the' 'pound. „ • ■■' ;•■■ , - ' ... : .■'.,.

. ; ACQTJII^G \COIOTiIENCi ; . '.';;■ He'received-his early^'educiitidn'at Harrow."and later weint to trinity College, Cambridge, where.. : like Mr. Austen Chamberlain, he was an Undergraduate under the famous .Dr. Montagu Butler, then master; but it is not bn record-that he greatly distinguished himself in the schools. His mathematical rather than his classical ability is his.most marked characteristic to-day. ' >. It is maintained that irdm the moment the Prime Minister made his•-.successful Budget Speech-there cwa's' 'a-/.perceptible ' changejin him. "He .was like a man who had suddenly won his own confidence, ind,because of that he won the confidence of others. His speeches took oh a'i new note of assurance. His dry humour Was given more frequent play. He began to forsake his practice of sticking closely to the'notes of a set speech. He " leU himself "go.". -. ; ■. ■ I

; In' his native, Worcestershire .he "'is yery popular. He is.essentially.a family" ihan, and has two sons arid four daughters. He has been compelled to sacrifice much of his home life to ,the-claims of ■business and politics.. In', five'years'Mr. Baldwin rose. from a "Parliamentary private .secretaryship to the Chancellorship o> the Exchequer. That is the measure of his high capacity.. ■•.■••- ' '

. ' WHAT THE PRESS SAY. What is-thought'of the new -Premier lhay be seen in the following -.'quotations from the London dailies':— .'...-

"His friends know him for.a man of simple tastes and sterling integrity. He is said to prefer a .country life to Westriiinster, and first editions to modern. Blue-book^., He. has clearly no passion for office or for Parliament—a very rare 'and" attractive defect—yet' he has succeeded during the last few months in ■winning a hold on ..the 1 House.'of Comnions which is comparable only with his predecessor's.—" The Times.". " My. Baldwin has many ' / excellent Qualities. He is a very good man of business, as his father was before him. Finance,, indeed, is his strongest point, arid finance in these days is of paramount importance. H e has led., the House of Commons with marked ability during Mi-. Banar Law's absence, and has shown that he possesses the gift of handling, Jot only his own party, but also the House itself."—" Daily Telegraph." , " Mr. Baldwin is a statesman whom the country has learnt to trust, lie conducted . the • financial negotiations with the [United .States., aiid the great'affair of the Budget'in a, way. that sihowed him- a master of finance. ;• Butmore: thrill that, he is respected as a representative Englishman, and none understands better, the greatest problem of .(he day. the"-problem,-' that js to say, o? <s.*yinj- oiir industries and our iineiu-

ployed at work • again."-—" Morning Post." '

As Chancellor of the Exchequer, and as Leadervpf the House of Commons during Mr. Bonar Law's periods of absence., he has already wori golden opinions, and proved his strength."—" Daily Mail." , "Few men have arrived at the highest pbsitiou after a shorter, apprenticeship than-Mr. Baldwin, but .feW-men havi fouhd^ so mnny Opportunities of distin-i guishing themselves in so brief a period: He- may rest assured thnt he has the 1' coiifidence alike of the party and of the country."—"Daily Mirror." Ifrsyj HOSTESS. AT No. 10.

Mrs. Baldwin, the'riew hoste'gg at No. 10V ■Downing Street, is the daughter of the late Mr. E. L. 3. fiidsdale. She id a grandmother, for two of her married daughter's, Mrs. Munro' and Mrs. H; Whitley, each have sons. Another daughter is married to Mr. Arthur Howard,' soh d{ .Lord Strathcona.' Her sons, Mr. Oliver Baldwin and Mr. Baldwin, are.unmarried, the latter being still' at Cambridge, and her, youngest daughter ,is Miss Betty Baldwin. Mrs. Baldwin is a dignified, woman of middle height, with 1 brown hair, dark eyes, and;a pleasing .^riiile, and she possesses a charming, gracious manner. Thd new dignity placed upon her. husband brought many ■ interviewers 'to Mrs; ■ Baldwin.' 1 ."I always take my fences as' I come to .them,"-was i one of her re» marks. ' She is naturally, delighted at the -honour..that has come td her hus: band, and very appreciative of the good wishes, and cdtigfatulations showered upon them both.

: "It's the very last thing we ever expected," Mie said, "and when my husband first entered politics nothing of th^ kind ever entered his head. I was not surprised when he went' to the Board of Trade. He had business experience and a good head for 'figures, and Cham cellor of the Bixche-qUor, tboj. seemed quite the kind of appoihtmerit for himi But the Premiership ! The most importl ant political office in England."

STRONG CONVICTIONS. ..talking witH a "Manchester Guardian"., representatiyei Mrs. Baldwin, admitted that she held very strong .convictions oh all sorts of questions, and it. was for that reason that she never spoke at any political -meetings., Through all. her/ Inatried life she had been accustomed to take part in public functions, but she steered clear of politics because she always realised that the wife of. a 1 polijtician.was Supposed' to bo expressing her husband's .opinion, and she was not prepared to Commit Mr. Baldwin to her opinions tin matters that greatly inter* gsted- her. ; I

''."My husband," she said, "has never been out, to make enemies. Ho has always had a definite aim in life. His chief concern has been his work, and .people have always treated him kindly. He has an extraordinary faculty of see; ing both sides of every question. t suppose it is because I am a woman that I usually take sides, b'ufc sometimes 1 when I haye 7 ' been expressing a' strong conviction he has laughed at me and said, 'I wish I could be as sure of anythuig'as you-are of everything.' "I think on'the. whole the social rel form nearest is the provision of maternity homes for pbor women,"' said Mrsi Baldwin,' referring to matters of special interest to women. ,"I have • had this 'question-in my, mind for a long time, liut these. kre hard times', and the difficulty w6iild.be to' raise the money foif the kind of homes that are .'so badly needed where, women: iof the poorest class go, and 'where .there would be' rooihs, also, for women who could pay.' I realign, what the need isj for I haire always taken ati interest in district'nursing." '-

DOMESTIC SERVICE PROBLEM. Mrs. Baldwin has a practical knowledge of general-hospital work, for dm> ihg the war she had Her dwn hospital for soldiers where two of her daughters helped her. This was opened four dayfe after 'the declaration of war, arid was hot closed till! January, 1919. The"' dd:mestic.service problem has .also,engaged, her attention. . She said that she had been constantly asked by her friends if she could find them girls from her village, and the mothers of the girls used also to come and ask her if she could, place their daughters in service:. Sometimes she placed them satisfactorily, but she found that most of the girls needed a training that their mothers could 'not give them at home, so beforej the war 'she started a school for domestic" training. ;The girls used 'to come .there on leaving school, and remsin'. fnr.:'6rie. or 'two'-jrears. They went : through" a.regular curriculum, and "had a month's, holiday in the summer,-and when trained got good situations. ' .